


Lost and Found

by LillianMontane



Category: One Piece
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-13 22:29:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14757491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LillianMontane/pseuds/LillianMontane
Summary: For four months their crew member had been missing.





	1. Chapter 1

Four months. It had been 4 months since he had been taken. At first they had followed whatever lead they could. All of them turned out false. Gradually as time passed, they had to begin to face the fact that they might never find him again. 

 

*****

 

Usopp retraced his steps from the market to the docks. He had been tasked with restocking the ship at this port. They really weren’t lacking that much, considering it had been only one week from the last port. But Nami had decided that it was better to stop here anyway so they did.

 

He sighed as he walked. Ever since that day, the crew had been stuck in a melancholy rut. Would they ever find him again? Usopp was dragged out of his thoughts as the crowd around him came to an abrupt halt and everyone started jeering and shouting. He looked up as line of dirty and malnourished people shackled together were led past into a shady alleyway. The villagers standing nearby threw objects and insults at the slaves.

 

Usopp leaned over to the lady standing next to him to ask what this was about.

 

“You must be just passing through. Every few weeks this island is host to an auction. Dealers from the neighboring islands all come here to sell their wares. Lately there have been slaves auctioned off as well. We don’t know who has been buying them though as they never seem to stick around. Probably sold onto pirate crews.”

 

She moved away down the street as the crowd began to disperse. Usopp shivered as he thought about the people he had seen. He hoped that wasn’t the fate of their missing crew member.

 

Making it back to the ship, he dropped the supplies off in the galley and went to join the rest of his crew to tell them what he had seen.

 

*****

 

“Do you think we should check it out?” Nami addressed the crew in general. They had received Usopp’s news of the slave auction with grim faces.

 

“Yes. Absolutely. If we don’t find him, no harm no foul. But what if he is?” Luffy trailed off. No one wanted to think that he could be there, but it would kill them if he was and they decided not to even check.

 

“Alright. Let’s go.” Nami led the group down the gangway and up to the auction house.

 

*****

 

The air was dank and foul inside the slave auction house. This was definitely the underbelly of society. They went in a specific order. Nami figured it was to maximize profits: shiny new items first, old used items last. People just recently pressed into slavery were auctioned first. Then came those who had been previously owned but used for menial labor or as house servants. Still no sign of their lost companion. Last we’re the sex slaves. The look in these peoples’s eyes was heartbreaking. Empty, soulless, lost.

 

“No!” It was barely a gasp. They turned to match Nami’s gaze. He was here. Collared and chained like a beast. He didn’t seem to be part of the auction though. Rather, from the looks of it, the person holding his chain was searching to purchase more slaves. He stood silently, hunched over with none of his normal fiery spirit. His eyes never left the one holding his chain, as if he were waiting for the next command.

 

“We can’t do anything in this crowd. We’ll get him after following them away.”

 

In the confusion of the large crowd in attendance, they lost track of their lost crew mate. Desperate, they splint ranks and each crew member watched a different entrance. They had all bases covered. Now they just had to wait.

 

*****

 

Zoro stood up straight from where he was leaning against the auction house wall. They had come through his door. He would follow them out of town and rescue the person who had been missing from their crew for so long.

 

His target had bought 3 new slaves from the auction. Surprisingly, he didn’t go back to a ship right away. He lead his new purchases along with his previous slave through the village. Every so often he would murmur something to his primary slave who would respond with either action or words. Zoro wasn’t close enough to hear what was said, but it obviously made the man very happy.

 

The walk away from the crowds wasn’t very long, and a good thing too. His enslaved crewmate looked like he was having difficulty staying upright, let alone walking.Every so often he would cough wetly, hacking up blood. Wasting no more time, Zoro charged ahead intent on his rescue.

 

The fight was swift and bloody. The man had tried to fight back but to no avail. Zoro made sure to steer away from the four slaves, not wanting to hurt them anymore than they already were. When it was over, he set down his swords, took off the bandana, and walked slowly over to the four. Using the key he had taken from the man, Zoro unlocked the cuffs and released them all.

 

“Do you remember how to get home?” He received positive answers from three of the now former slaves; the ones bought today. The fourth person looked at him curiously without saying a word.

 

“What about you?” Zoro asked his missing crew mate.

 

The man dropped his gaze and his shoulders slumped. He shook his head.

 

“Very well. Come with me. I’ll help you find it.”

 

*****

 

The ship was dark when they walked slowly up the gangway. It would seem that no one else was back yet. He would have to inform everyone that they had their missing friend. But first he had to get him situated.

 

Zoro lead him into the medical bay. “Are you hungry? No, stupid question. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

 

He went through the adjoining door to the galley. Not knowing what his friend had gone through in the past few months, he knew that he shouldn’t give him anything too complicated right away.But rice was healthy. He could have something else after Chopper gave the go ahead. Returning shortly to the medical bay with two steaming bowls of rice, Zoro found his crewmate standing in the exact spot he had left him. At first surprised that he hadn’t at least sat down, he then shook his head as he realized he had given someone treated as a slave for months a direct order “stay here.” And Sanji had done just that.


	2. Chapter 2

Zoro hadn’t expected rice to be that complicated. But even though he took the bowl, Sanji refused to eat it. He sat watching as Zoro started in on his own. “What are you waiting for? I didn’t poison it.” Sanji didn’t say a word, just glanced up from the rice to Zoro’s face and back down.

 

“Oh for crying out loud. Here.” Zoro switched bowls with Sanji to prove that the rice wasn’t poisoned. As he expected, once Sanji had been shown that the bowl he was holding wouldn’t harm him, he started eating with vigor.

 

Once they finished, Sanji once more stood watching Zoro. It was as if he was waiting for his next command.

 

“You’re safe here, you know. You aren’t a slave any more. No one here is going to hurt you.” Again, Zoro didn’t get a verbal response, so he continued, “you can sleep in here. Eventually the rest of our crew will be back and we will set sail, but until then, why don’t you just rest? I will come check on you again later.”

 

Sanji coughed again then nodded as Zoro left the room, closing the door behind himself.

 

*****

 

“Where is everyone?” Zoro wondered to himself. “Surely they should be coming back soon...” while waiting for the rest of the crew to return, he busied himself by gathering Sanji’s old clothes that they had kept on board for when they found him again. Zoro looked at the suit in his hands and realized that with how much weight Sanji had lost, it wouldn’t fit right. He was skinny to begin; now he was practically skeletal. Maybe something of Usopp’s would be better?

 

Making his way back to the medical bay, Zoro frowned when he heard whimpers and weak coughing. Damn, but he needed Chopper to get back soon. Opening the door slowly so he didn’t surprise Sanji, he realized he needn’t have bothered. The chef was curled on the floor under a blanket, sleeping or out cold he couldn’t tell. Zoro approached and knelt beside him. Reaching out, he felt Sanji’s forehead, expecting but not finding a fever. Instead he found the opposite. Sanji was clammy and cold. Zoro sighed then scooped him up to place him on the bed. It saddened him to realize that Sanji had chosen the floor because of how he had been treated these last few months. Hearing voices outside, he left the room closing the door quietly.

 

“Hey, keep your voices down! Sanji is asleep!” He was met with a chorus of “You found him!” Followed by Chopper pushing by him asking how he was.

 

“I need to give him a thorough exam. He looked in really poor shape when we saw him in that crowd. Zoro, did you give him anything to eat?”

 

“Just rice and water. I didn’t know what you would recommend...”

 

“No, that’s good. What has he told you of what happened to him?”

 

“He doesn’t seem to remember us, and he hasn’t said a single word, Chopper. Not one.”

 

*****

 

An hour later and their little doctor had finished the majority of his exam without Sanji even waking up. Malnourishment and physical abuse were obvious. Bruises ranging from dark purple through sickly yellow littered the body of the skinny chef. Chopper had bound his ribs and braced a sprained ankle. He had found traces of sedatives in Sanji’s blood and other drugs he couldn’t place. Most concerning though, was that his body temperature remained dangerously low. He was hovering around 34 degrees C. Nothing Chopper had tried was working and he was running out of options.

 

“Zoro, please come in here!” Chopper shouted out of the medical bay door. The swordsman looked up from where he was sitting with Luffy and Ussop, then stood and made his way over.

 

“What is it, Chopper?”

 

“I need your help and I need you not to argue. His temperature is too low and is just falling from there. I need you to lie down with him. You always run hot anyway.”

 

Zoro raised an eyebrow, but nodded and followed their doctor’s instructions. As soon as he had, Sanji gave a shuddering gasp and unconsciously moved toward the heat emanating from Zoro’s body, burrowing himself into the swordsman’s side.

 

“Good. Now just stay here with him for a bit. I’ll be back.” Chopper left through the door leading to the galley.

 

“You certainly are causing a lot of trouble, aren’t you?” Zoro murmured to the chef in the bed with him. “Do you have any ideas how worried they all were? I guess I was too. And now that we found you, like this... Just get better ok, Cook?” He got no response, but as he wrapped his arms around him, Sanji gave a small sigh and relaxed into the warmth.

 

*****

 

“Chopper, I don’t think he’s getting any warmer. He’s shivering now!”

 

“No, Zoro, that’s good. It means his body is trying to help warm him up now.” Sure enough, the thermometer now read 35.8 C. A far cry from the 37C that they needed, but much better than the 34C he was at just a few hours beforehand.

 

“I would have him drink some tea to help if he were awake, but there’s not much else to do with him like this...” Chopper looked sadly at his crewmate. “I just hope he keeps fighting. I can guess some of what he went through, but without actually talking to him....”

 

“He’ll wake up, Chopper. I know he will. He’s not that weak to let something like this beat him.”

 

“Let me know if anything changes, ok?” Zoro nodded as their little doctor left the room.

 

***** Sanji's POV

 

He gradually swam back to consciousness, senses returning at different rates. First he felt warmth: something he hadn’t had in.... as far as he could remember. Then he realized he wasn’t on the floor where he had been last he remembered.

 

Second he heard a steady thumping cadence. A heartbeat. Whose heartbeat?

 

He fought to open his eyes, and when he did, he stifled a gasp. He was lying on top of the man from last night, head resting on a broad chest, and arms wrapped around each other. He tried to squirm away, but stopped with grey eyes met his own.

 

Who was this person? Where were they? Did he intend to help like he had said last night? Or was that a farce and did he really plan on being his new master?

 

***** Third person POV

 

Zoro woke when he felt the body in his embrace start to move. He opened his eyes and watched as Sanji froze when their gaze met.

 

“How are you feeling?” No answer. “Are you warmer at least?” A slight nod.

 

“Good. I am going to get the doctor of this ship, ok?” Another slight nod.

 

Zoro stood and gently placed Sanji back on the bed and covered him up before leaving the room to find Chopper. He wondered what Sanji’s reaction would be when he saw that their doctor was a talking reindeer. Just how long would it take for his memories of them to return? Would they ever?

 

Sticking his head around the corner, he called out “Hey Chopper, he’s awake.”

 

“Oh good!” The small reindeer hopped off the railing where he had been fishing and trotted over to walk next to Zoro back to the medical bay. “Do you think he remembers he is part of this crew?”

 

“I don’t think he knows where he is nor who we are. Chopper, what are we going to do?” It was rare for the swordsman to show either worry or compassion, but he wasn’t ashamed with this matter. Until he started speaking, they really didn’t know where to even start.

 

Chopper pushed the door open and Zoro followed him into the medical bay. Sanji didn’t look at them as they entered. He sat passively on the bed where Zoro had left him.

 

“How long have you been treated as a slave?” Chopper switched into professional doctor mode. His answer was a shrug.

 

“Can you tell me your name?” No response at all that time.

 

“Can you remember your life before?” He received only a shake of the head as an answer.

 

“Do you have any other injuries that need to be treated that I missed?” Another negative head shake. The conversation progressed as such for the next 10 minutes until Chopper realized that they were going nowhere. He had made sure that Sanji's injuries were all treated, and couldn't do much more until either Sanji's memories returned or he at least trusted them enough to talk. Glancing at Zoro and leaving a glass of water in reach for their mistreated crew member, the small doctor let himself out of the room.

 

They sat in silence for a while before Zoro spoke up, “Why can’t you tell us your name?” Not really expecting an answer, he was surprised when he got one.

 

“Slaves don’t have a name, Master. I will respond to what ever you choose to call me.” His voice was almost heartbreaking to hear. None of the normal fight or determination was in it. Instead a flat monotone sounded.

 

“Master?” The look he gave Sanji would have normally been enough to make the cook tease him for lack of intellect. In this case, though, he only looked back and said “Of course. You killed my previous master to take me as your slave, didn't you?”

 

“N-no! Why would you think that? Of course I don't want you to be a slave! I was trying to give you your life back!”

 

“My … what?”

 

“Do you remember none of this?” Sanji looked at him askance before shaking his head.

 

“You are part of this crew. We have been searching for you for months. Can you tell me anything at all?”

 

Sanji was silent for so long, staring ahead at nothing that Zoro thought he wasn't going to answer. Then: “There were many slaves. Some were used for labor, some in the kitchens, some for... other things... We were given injections daily, but never told what they were. I … I don't think you want me back on this crew....”

 

“Of course we do! You want to know what you used to do here?” Without giving him a chance to answer, Zoro continued, “You were our cook. We picked you up from a restaurant in the middle of the East Blue called The Baratie. You joined us to search for an ocean called All Blue. Please remember at least that. All Blue. Where the waters from all the oceans join and you can find fish from all four all in one place. A chef's paradise you always called it. Well, we're still gonna find it.”

 

Sanji looked at him with wide eyes. He had a dream to follow. He had a history. Maybe this man really did care. “What's my name?”

 

“Sanji.”


	3. Chapter 3

A week had passed, and Sanji was making progress slowly but surely. He would now talk with Chopper, but refused to see any others on the crew. They got it out of him that he had been held by a group of pirates who passed ownership between them. There were both men and women in the group that had held him captive. He and the other slaves had all been given tranquilizers and other injections to keep them under control, and prevent escape. He had taken a serious blow to his head shortly after he had been taken, and Chopper worked under the assumption that the combination of the head injury and forced drugging was what had caused the memory loss.

 

The small doctor had taken blood samples from Sanji in an effort to figure out what sort of drugs they had used on him. He had found a veritable cocktail. The sheer amount that was still showing in his system along with the varied types was more than enough to explain Sanji’s memory loss.

 

Zoro for his part, spent most of his time with Sanji. It seemed to help the blonde to have someone with him, even if they weren’t talking or even interacting. The first few nights, Chopper and Zoro had left him alone. In the morning, Sanji had relocated to the floor in a corner. He refused to speak again for a few hours until Zoro had promised to not leave him alone for that long again. From then on, Zoro slept in the medical bay with the blonde chef.

 

*****

 

“But he’s our crewmate, when can we see him?” Nami was getting impatient with waiting and getting no answers. “Are you sure he doesn’t remember anything? Why not?”

 

“Nami, you’ve gotta have patience. He has been through god knows what for months. Until he is ready, you’re not seeing him.” With that Zoro stalked off back to the medical bay with food for both the chef and the doctor.

 

When he opened the door, the last thing he expected was to be attacked. But that is precisely what happened. Sanji was livid. He sprang at Zoro and hit him as hard as he could with his left fist. The swordsman was stunned. Not because it hurt him (which it did, but he wouldn’t admit it), but because Sanji had hit him. HIT, not kicked. What was going on?

 

Zoro put the plates down on Chopper’s desk and caught Sanji’s next swing. “What the hell?!?” He shouted at Sanji, but that just seemed to make Sanji’s anger worse. He proceeded to flail about irrationally kicking, hitting, even biting. Zoro refused to hit him back and struggled to pin the skinny cook so he couldn’t lash out anymore. Finally he had him against the wall, arms pinned and legs trapped so he couldn’t move.

 

“Sanji, what the fuck is this about?!? Knock it off!”

 

Finally giving up, Sanji went limp and started shaking. Zoro paused and then realized he was crying. The cook’s voice was so quiet when he spoke, it was almost impossible to hear. “I...I’m sorry. I didn’t realize who you were. I thought you were ... one of them.” Sanji’s knees buckled and Zoro slid to the floor still holding him: for support now instead of restraint.

 

“Hey, hey hey. It’s alright.” Zoro patted his back as Sanji whimpered again and clung to him. “It’s alright, Cook. We’ll get you through this. Chopper said you would have flashbacks. He said to watch for triggers. Can you tell me what happened?”

 

“I woke up and no one was here. I didn’t remember that you had taken me away from them… I guess I just freaked when you came back in because I thought they were coming back to get me.  But when you said my name, I realized that it wasn’t them, and I just…. just…. I can’t handle this! How do I know that this is even real?” His voice got more and more frantic until it ended in a wail. He was still clinging to Zoro who was at a loss for what to say.

 

“Sanji, can you tell me what you thought was going to happen when that door opened?”  
  
***** Flashback

 

Sanji sat huddled in a corner. He was left in just a torn pair of pants; his shirt, jacket, shoes, everything else had been taken. He had used half his drinking water to rinse out the lash wounds, but he was sure that they would get infected anyway. His head pounded thanks to the beatings and his vision blurred every time he tried standing. He couldn’t remember how he got into this situation. Couldn’t even remember his own name anymore. He was sure he had a concussion, and that was the least of his worries. The small reprieve ended when the door squealed open on rusty hinges, and a tall woman with flaming red hair stepped through the opening.

 

“I see you are awake. Very well, let’s continue your training.” She strolled over to where the blonde slumped on the floor and bent down to attach a chain to the metal collar that had been affixed around his neck. She yanked the other end of the chain and forced him to follow her out of the small cell and down the hall. Upon reaching another room, she led him through that door as well.

 

This room was still small, but it was nearly twice the size of the dingy cell he had been held in. There was a single hook extending from the ceiling directly over a grate in the floor. The woman shoved him to stand on a stool that stood on the grate and yanked his bound hands above his head to attach the cuffs around the ceiling hook. Once he was hooked, she kicked the stool out from under him causing him to gasp as his shoulders took on all his weight at once.

 

“Now, we will see how well you are learning your training.” She circled him slowly, swinging a knotted whip and eyeing him up and down. “What is your name?”  
  
He didn’t answer, earning him a lash across his face.

 

“What. is. your. name.”

 

“I don’t know….” His answer was whispered this time.

 

“Because you don’t have one! Slaves do not have names. You will respond to what I choose to call you.” She hit him across the face again to reinforce her order.  
  
“Yes, Mistress,” he whispered again.

 

“What is your name?” “I don’t have one, mistress. I will respond to whatever you choose to call me.”

 

“Very good. Now, if I let you down, will you run?”  
  
“No Mistress. I have nowhere to go.” She hit him again. “Wrong! You won’t run because you belong to me. You are MY property!”  
  
“Yes, Mistress. I belong to you. I will do whatever you command.”

 

“You are learning. Very good. Now you will stay here until I decide to let you down. Do not try to leave.”

 

“Yes, Mistress.”  
  
She gave him an injection, hit him one more time for good measure, then slammed the door shut, leaving the blonde hanging from his wrists from the hook on the ceiling. He was exhausted. Blood leaked from the whip lashes he had received, ran down his arms, face, and legs, and dripped through the grate on the floor. He dropped his head and his eyes drooped closed. There was no reason to try to stay awake. The mistress was gone. While it wasn’t much of a break, it was more than he realistically hoped for. He didn’t know if he fell asleep or not, but soon he heard the door creak open again. Turning his head slightly he cracked an eye open.

 

A short girl crept through the opening. Her hair was matted and her cheeks were hollow. She couldn’t have been more than 12 years old and was obviously another slave. But why was she coming into this room?

 

She slowly approached where Sanji hung limply from the ceiling. “Mister, are you awake? Can you hear me?”  
  
“Yes.”

 

“I’m gonna get you down, we can leave from here together!”  
  
“No.”  
  
“No? Why not?”

  
“Mistress said to stay here until she came back. I am not allowed to leave.”

 

“But you can get away from all of this, just let me help you.” She moved the stool to help her reach the chain on the hook.

 

“NO! STOP IT! Mistress said to stay here!” He kicked out and knocked her off the stool. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him from the ground. Then they both looked over to the door and a chuckle sounded from around the corner.

 

“Very good, slave. I see you have learned your lesson well.”  The red headed woman came back into view. She glanced down at the girl on the floor, “Get out of here, child.” The girl scurried to obey.

 

“Are you ready to be let down, slave?”  
  
“I am ready to do whatever you ask of me, Mistress.” She smiled a feral grin as she unhooked Sanji from the ceiling before leading him back out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Sanji’s narration ended, and he forced himself back into the present. He focused on making his breathing steady, and calming his heartbeat. He wasn’t entirely sure if he had spoken the whole time or if he had gotten lost somewhere in the flashbacks and had stopped speaking.

 

“Want to try leaving the door open a bit so you can see before people come in?” Zoro wanted to help, but he really didn’t know where to begin.

 

“Would that be alright?” Sanji’s voice was still shaky and he looked up at the swordsman through blonde bangs. “I might like that. Can we?”

 

“Of course.”

 

*****

 

Zoro sat leaning against the inside of the washroom door. “Chopper says you don’t have to stay in the medical bay anymore. He is happy with how everything has healed and said that your weight is getting back to a normal range as well. So I was thinking maybe tonight we can get you resettled.” He waited for a reply from behind the shower curtain.

 

“That’d be great, but I have nowhere else to go.” The bunk room was not an option. Chopper had said that with the multitude of drugs leaving his system, his memories would probably start to come back. Given that information, Sanji had thought he was ready to start interactions with the crew, but the result of that had been confusion, chaos, and nearly two days worth of panic attacks from the cook. He had gone to the tangerine grove to meet Nami, but one look at her hair and he was sent into a flashback of the red headed woman who abused him so often for fun. He hadn’t looked back as he ran away.

 

Sanji had next tried waiting in the galley. Soon enough Luffy had wandered in, and Luffy being Luffy had gotten so excited he catapulted himself into a gum-gum bear hug with his favourite chef.Both the use of devils fruit (which he had forgotten) and the sudden intrusion had Sanji screaming and seeing not Luffy but instead the people who had beaten him nearly senseless when he was taken as a slave. Again, he ran.

 

So far, he had not been able to hold normal interactions with Nami, Luffy, Franky, or Robin. Brook, being a skeleton, had been iffy at first, but soon they were interacting as they had before this ordeal began. Usopp was also an exception. He had approached Sanji slowly, without talking, and with the intent of just giving his share of lunch and leaving. He bore no resemblances to any of Sanji’s abusers and was not overwhelming in his actions at all. They ended up talking and fishing together for hours until the sun had set.

 

So, no. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to join the bunk room again for quite some time. “But there’s plenty of space on this ship. Maybe we can just block off part of one of the storage rooms for you. Know what? I’m gonna go do that. You’ll be okay if I leave you alone?”

 

“No, Zoro. The shower is exceptionally dangerous and I might be sucked down the drain.” The swordsman could practically hear Sanji’s eyes rolling with that statement.

 

“Smart ass.” He grumbled as he got up and left the washroom.

 

Sanji chuckled to himself. Zoro could be infuriating, but he was actually enjoying the company most of the time. He wondered what their relationship had been like before this whole mess began. Where they friends? Or did they just put up with each other for the rest of the crew’s sake? He mused over this for awhile, scrubbing shampoo into his hair. As he reached for the soap, he heard the door open again, but lighter footsteps enter. Sanji dropped the soap in surprise when he was suddenly yelled at.

 

“What are you doing? Damn it, Usopp, you better have a reason for using the rest of my special shampoo.” The shower curtain was yanked aside and an extremely angry Nami was revealed. “You.... Sanji?”

 

He had pushed himself into the very farthest part of the shower, shoulders hunched, eyes averted, and arms trying to hide himself. He was not entirely sure why he was being yelled at, but thought it best to not argue. She was mad. And when Mistress was mad, he was at fault.

 

“I’m sorry, Mistress.” He mumbled.

 

“Oh shit, Sanji. I thought it was Usopp. I... I’m sorry.” She dropped the curtain and hurried out of the washroom. 

 

He stayed standing there until the water ran cold, lost in his own far away world. Mistress had left. Did that mean he was allowed to move? Or was she coming back to punish him for angering her? His thoughts gradually spiraled out of control until he felt the water stop hitting him, and something warm come around his shoulders. Then he registered a voice.

 

“The fuck are you doing standing here in cold water, Cook?”

 

“I’ve angered Mistress.” He kept repeating as he let himself be guided out of the shower and dried with a towel. “I’ve angered Mistress, and have to be punished.”

 

He felt his chin grasped in a strong hand and moved to look into steel grey eyes. “Sanji. There is no mistress here. You are back with your crew. You aren’t owned by anyone.”

 

“Zoro?” “Yeah.”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“Why is she mad at me? What did I do wrong?” “Nothing, you didn’t do anything wrong. Just get dressed.”

 

*****

 

Zoro had left Sanji in the small room he cleared out. Franky had helped move a bed in and they had set it up like the infirmary, minus the medical equipment. There was the bed, a desk with a chair, and a small dresser with a light standing on it.Sanji stood in the middle of the room, wondering what he was supposed to be doing. Zoro hadn’t left him with any instructions. He decided to start by making the bed.

 

Meanwhile, Zoro had gone to find Nami.

 

“What did you do to him?”

 

“Ah! Oh, Zoro. What did I do to who?”

 

“Don’t play dumb. I found Sanji standing listlessly under a cold shower mumbling about how he upset the mistress. Now tell me what you did.”

 

“I didn’t touch him! I just mistook him for Usopp that’s all.... and I might have yelled just a tiny bit.”

 

“You need to fix this. Come on.” He dragged her by the hand out of her tangerines and back to where he had left the cook.

 

The door was closed when they got there, and there was no response to their knocks. Zoro cracked open the door and peered inside. The room was empty.

 

“Damn it, where did he go on a ship this small?”

 

They found him in the galley. He had prepared a variety of dishes and placed them on the table, and was simply waiting nearby. When Zoro came in with Nami trailing behind, he knelt on the floor with his hands behind his back, “Mistress, please accept my apologies. I hope this makes up for angering you earlier.”

 

Nami knelt in front of the blonde, “Sanji, you did nothing wrong. Please don’t see me as a Mistress. I used to consider us friends, and hopefully we can be again.”

 

Sanji pressed his hand to his forehead with a slight gasp. Then he looked up at her with wide eyes. “Nami?” She smiled as she nodded. “I think.... I remember you! You’re a navigator? Your dream is to chart the best world map. I remember you!” Then he smiled, something they had not seen the entire time he had been reunited with the crew.


	5. Chapter 5

Zoro woke in the middle of the night, disoriented enough that he couldn’t place what had woken him. He lay still, listening and waiting. Gradually it registered that someone was knocking on the bunk room door. He dropped out of his hammock and stumbled over to stop the noise.

 

Yanking open the door, he was met by the face of the blonde cook. “Why are you knocking?” He asked, a bit more gruffly than he had actually intended. Looking closer at Sanji, he could see tear tracks running down the pale face. He also looked to be trembling. “Sanji, what’s wrong?”

 

“The nightmares are getting worse.”

 

Zoro sighed and shut the door, walking with Sanji back to his small room. “Do you want to talk about it?”

 

“They aren’t so much nightmares really, as they are memories. When I sleep, my brain doesn’t know that I’m safe and away from them, I guess. So it just keeps replaying the worst times of when I was there.” Sanji’s voice trailed off, blinking tiredly.

 

“Do you want me to stay with you tonight?”

 

Sanji nodded and pulled Zoro to the bed. They settled into the blankets and Sanji was asleep almost instantly. Zoro, however, lay awake for hours listening to Sanji’s breathing grow ragged every time a nightmare started. Each time, he stroked his crewmate’s hair and murmured to him how he was home and safe. Sanji would sigh and his breathing would even out, the nightmares held at bay at least for tonight.

 

*****

 

The next morning, Sanji and Usopp sat together on the Sunny’s deck. The blonde had left Zoro sleeping and crept out before dawn. Usopp was returning to the bunk room from the washroom and had seen the cook come out on deck. They hadn’t spoken, just sat together and watched the sun rise.

 

Sanji suddenly gave a small groan of pain and he held his head.

 

“What’s wrong, Sanji?”

 

“Nothing, just a headache... wait. This wasn’t our first ship was it? There was a different one. With a sheep instead of a lion. What was it called?”

 

“The Going Merry! That’s great, you’re getting your memories back!”

 

“Just a few... damn, this hurts! I have to go lie down. Thanks for sitting with me, Usopp.”

 

Sanji made his way back to his room. He found it empty, and leaving the door cracked open, but the lights off, he lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, trying to block out the pain of the headache. Eventually he faded into restless sleep.

 

*****

 

Sanji followed obediently behind the red haired woman. She took pleasure in yanking on his chain whenever he fell a step too far behind. She led him to a room on the other side of the ship, where he hadn’t been before. She opened a door.

 

“Matthias, I brought you the new toy.” She shoved Sanji through the doorway where he fell to his knees in front of the man called Matthias. “Use it as you see fit, but make sure it comes back to me without too much harm.” She tossed him the chain and left, closing the door.

 

Twenty minutes later, and Sanji couldn’t believe how dirty he felt. Matthias tucked himself back into his slacks and threw a towel into the chef’s face.

 

“Clean yourself up, and next time I expect you to swallow. This time you get off easy.” He turned back to facing Sanji with a lighter in his hand. Getting off easy, as it turned out, meant that he only got four burns from the lighter. The chain was reattached to the collar around his neck and he was returned to his cell.

 

Curled on the floor, Sanji buried his face in his knees and cried. These people had taken everything from him. Freedom, pride, innocence. He would never feel clean again. And he would never be free again. He had no hope left.

 

*****

 

Sanji’s eyes flew open and he looked wildly around. He took stock of his situation. He was lying in a bed, alone in a room, with the door cracked open. The door. It was open. He could leave if he wanted to. He wasn’t captive anymore. He was safe at home on the Thousand Sunny. The blonde let out a shaky sigh and wiped the tears from his face. At least his headache had subsided.

 

*****

 

“Onigiri?”

 

“MEAT!!!”

 

“Cotton candy!”

 

Everyone was thrilled when they entered the galley at dinner time. Sanji had made their favourite foods and left them on the table and retreated to the kitchen. He smiled to himself as he heard their reactions. He had spent the last three hours thinking as hard as he could and sorting through flashes of memories that came back to him. Even though he was immensely pleased with himself for remembering correctly, he was now battling another horrible headache. He wondered if Chopper had something that could help with this.

 

Sanji wandered down to the medical bay, taking note that the wind had died down and it looked to be a very peaceful night. Just as he rounded the corner, though, a shot rang out and he felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder. The force of the bullet knocked him down and he slammed into the wall.

 

He yelled for the rest of the crew, “Hey, we’re under...” but his shout was interrupted when he saw a mass of flaming hair board the ship. He turned and fled.

 

His warning had been enough though to gain the rest of the Strawhat crew’s attention. They came pounding out of the galley and came face to face with both a terrified Sanji and the intruders. Sanji ducked around his crew and kept running. “Usopp, go after him. Keep him safe.” Luffy and Zoro shared a look between themselves; they would take care of this.

 

“You killed my brother, Matthias. I am here to get revenge and take my property back.” The red haired woman declared her intentions as she unlooped a whip from her belt. Her cronies lined up on either side of her and waited for instructions to attack.

 

“He doesn’t belong to anybody but himself.” Zoro tied his bandana around his eyes and the sound of steel unsheathing rang in the air.

 

*****

 

Usopp followed Sanji’s erratic path until he found the blonde panting and trembling in the storage room blocked off for him to use as a bedroom. Sanji sat on the bed holding his shoulder and looking around in panic. Usopp closed the door and blocked it with the desk chair.

 

“Sanji?”

 

“...”

 

“Sanji, can you hear me?”

 

“Usopp, that was her. Please don’t let her take me again!” The look he fixed the sniper with was desperate and heartbreaking.

 

“Don’t worry. They are taking care of it. Luffy and Zoro won’t let her take you.” Usopp approached the panicked chef slowly until he could sit next to him on the bed. Sanji looked about ready to either puke or pass out. His face was ghostly pale and his eyes weren’t focused on anything. Usopp could see the blood coming from his shoulder, and wondered if they should move to the medical bay or if he should get Chopper. Deciding that it would be best to calm Sanji down first either way, he scooted closer and wrapped an arm around the lanky cook.

 

“It’ll be alright, Sanji. If they fail, the great captain Usopp and my 8,000 followers will definitely stop them!”

 

“You’re such a liar.”

 

“Man, the one thing I hoped you wouldn’t ever remember.”

 

Sanji chuckled at that and relaxed into his friend’s embrace. “M’tired, Usopp.”

 

“Wanna lie down?” Receiving a sluggish nod, Usopp helped Sanji to lie down on the bed. Sanji mumbled something else incoherent before he passed out entirely. His hand fell limply from his shoulder, revealing how much blood he had been losing. The entire right side of his suit jacket was soaked. Usopp grimaced at the sight; no wonder Sanji passed out. His body had probably gone into shock. The sniper arranged Sanji so his feet were elevated, and then covered him with a blanket before moving to open both jacket and shirt to reveal the wound.

 

He tossed the jacket to the floor and decided to use Sanji’s shirt to staunch the rest of the bleeding. He would probably get yelled at for using the material in such a way, but he figured it was already ruined so why not? Gently maneuvering the chef so that he could feel the back of his shoulder, Usopp sighed. There was no exit wound, so the bullet was still in there. Still best to stop the bleeding as much as possible. Chopper would get the bullet out. Continuing to put pressure on the open wound, Usopp hoped the small doctor would find them sooner rather than later.

*****

Usopp jumped a metre when someone started pounding on the door. He had managed to slow Sanji’s bleeding down to a trickle, but the chef was still unconscious.

 

“Wh...who is it? I warn you, the great captain Usopp will take you out in a heartbeat to protect his friends!”

 

“Can it, Usopp. We finished them off. Open this door.”

 

The sniper did as their first mate ordered. Zoro pushed passed him into the room and stopped short when he saw Sanji lying on the bed.

 

“The bullet is still in his shoulder, but I got the bleeding mostly stopped. Should we take him to Chopper, or have him come here?” By the time he finished asking, though, Zoro already had the blonde in his arms to take him to the medical bay.

 

“Thanks Usopp, knew I could count on you.”


	6. Chapter 6

Chopper finished wrapping the bandage over Sanji’s fresh stitches. He leaned back in his chair and gave the unconscious man a once over. The bullet had been removed, he had been given an IV, and all his vitals were reading normal. His blood pressure was a bit lower than Chopper would like, but he knew that was just from the loss and it would resolve itself, hopefully sooner rather than later.

 

Sanji stirred and groaned as he opened his eyes and looked around the small room. He was back in the medical bay. “Usopp?”

 

“He’s out on deck, do you want me to get him?”

 

“Oh, hi Chopper. How am I this time, doctor?”

 

“I got the bullet out with no problems. You just need some rest and you’ll be up and around again in no time.”

 

“Great, thanks, Chopper. I wanted to ask you though, before... this happened. I have been having some pretty bad headaches. Do you have anything that might help that?”

 

“Do you know what causes them?”

 

“Well, no. Not really. But they seem to come at the same time as I remember more from before.”

 

“Would you be ok if I took another blood sample? Your body might be trying to adjust to functioning without all the drugs they were injecting. You lost quite a bit of blood just now, so I can wait if you want, but I wouldn’t need much.”

 

“Sure, go ahead.”

 

Once done, a knock on the door revealed Usopp with a bowl of soup. “Chopper, dinner is ready in the galley. I brought the patient some soup.”

 

“Great! Stay in bed and rest for now, Sanji.” The small doctor called back as he scurried out of the room.

 

“How’re you feeling?” Usopp handed Sanji the bowl of soup.

 

“I’ve been worse.”

 

“That wasn’t the question.”

 

“Fine. I feel like I will pass out at any moment now, my arm feels like it’s gonna fall off, and I am terrified beyond belief that none of this is real, and I am gonna wake up back in that hell hole.” Sanji’s diatribe finished with him huffing and then pointedly ignoring Usopp in favour of the vegetable soup in his lap.

 

“Okay... how are your memories doing?” Usopp wasn’t sure if he should continue questioning or not, but figured that for the moment at least he was safe from physical kickback.

 

“Mostly back, I guess. This evening.... Er, however long ago before this (he motioned to his shoulder) when I made everyone’s favourites for dinner. Did I get them all right? I tried so hard. Luffy’s was easy since I have been hearing him shout it the whole time.... but Zoro and Robin, I hope I didn’t just make things up....”

 

Usopp sat on the edge of the bed. “No, you got them all right. But do you remember just day to day stuff on the ship?”

 

“I think so. But one thing I don’t really understand. I’ve been getting flashes of interacting with everyone. But the ones with Zoro, we’re always fighting. Usopp, I really like his company. Why were we always fighting?”

 

“That is a question for him. Finished with that?” He gestured to the now empty bowl. Sanji nodded and handed it to him. Usopp stood and went to leave the room. “Want the door left cracked open?”He didn’t receive an answer; Sanji was already asleep again.

 

*****

 

“Sanji, Sanji wake up!”

 

He heard panicked shouting and felt someone shaking him. Not able to think, and still stuck in his nightmare, he lashed out.

 

“No, keep him still or else he’ll pull the stitches!”

 

Robin formed arms around Sanji sprouting from the bed to hold him firmly and securely. He gradually wore himself out and fell limp back to the bed. Chopper and Robin had come in to check on the chef and found him stuck in a fever induced nightmare. His wound had become infected.

 

The small doctor had added antibiotics to the IV drip and had opened the stitches to clean the wound again. After fresh stitches had been completed, however, Sanji had started fighting against them. Chopper’s efforts to wake the blonde had gone unheeded. He gave Sanji a sedative to encourage as much rest as possible before settling in for a long watch.

 

Zoro came in just after midnight that night to check on both the chef and the doctor. Finding the former still out cold and the latter trying his best to keep from nodding off, he offered to stay for the remainder of the night so Chopper could get some sleep.

 

“Ok, thanks Zoro.But you promise to come get me if anything changes! With how long the bullet was in him, and now the infection, there is a possibility of septicemia. So no matter if you think the change is small or not important, you come get me anyway!” Receiving a nod in answer, Chopper left to the bunk room.

 

Zoro stood looking at the blonde on the bed. He was paler than usual, but his breathing was slow and steady. He had oxygen tubes going to his nose, and the IV tube extended from the fluids bag to his left elbow. Another small length of tubing extended from a bag hung on the side of the bed and disappeared under the blankets near his hips. Zoro pulled the chair nearer to the bed and settled in for his vigil.

 

*****

 

A sunbeam peaked through the porthole and streamed across the pillow, hitting Sanji’s blonde locks, and giving him a fey-like appearance. He hadn't moved since last night, but the steady beeping from his heart monitor and the slight rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was stable. Zoro turned as he heard the door open and Chopper entered the room.

 

“How is he? I assume no changes since you let me sleep the whole night.”  
  
“He's still sleeping, or unconscious, I don't know, but he hasn't even moved since last night.”  
  
“I dosed him up pretty well with a sedative to make his body rest, so I am not expecting him to wake up until probably this afternoon, maybe evening.”

 

*****

 

Chopper's expectations were spot on. Sanji slept through the whole day, but by the afternoon, his heart rate and breathing started speeding up as he swam back to consciousness. Chopper was next to him as he opened his eyes.

 

“Don't move around too much, Sanji. I'm just taking your vitals.”

 

He nodded, exhausted even though he had just woken up. Glancing toward the door, he saw it was cracked open letting the outside light in. Turning his attention back to the small doctor, he tried to focus on what was being said.

 

“What?”

 

“I said that you appear to have beaten the infection. You aren't showing any signs of sepsis, either. But I don't want you over exerting yourself. How are you feeling?”

 

Sanji groaned. “I am sick of this shit! Took me long enough to just get used to being back with this crew, and now I’m a dead weight again.” He turned his head to look at the door when he heard a laugh in response.

 

Zoro stood leaning against the door frame, “At least you sound like yourself again, Cook.”

 

Chopper interrupted before the two could start something, “Zoro, don’t instigate anything. Sanji, you need to stay here until I release you.”

 

Both nodded their agreement and Chopper left the room.

 

“Zoro?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“…”

 

“Well, what is it?”

 

“I got all my, well most of my memories back. From before.”

 

Zoro raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He had been wondering when this would come up. Sanji would either allow their relationship to continue as it had the last few weeks with them being not only civil to each other, but actually friendly. Or he would balk at the change and they would go back to insulting each other. Zoro couldn’t lie to himself. He had been enjoying Sanji’s company recently. He would agree to whatever the chef decided on, but secretly he was hoping to keep the newfound friendship.

 

“I’m wondering if you can tell me though, why we were always fighting?”

 

“I dunno. It just started out that way. I wouldn’t let you get away with outdoing me, and you wouldn’t let me outdo you. It just kinda escalated out of control.”

 

“Oh. Does it bother you?”

 

“The fighting?”

 

“Taking care of me these last few weeks.”

 

Zoro sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. Sanji had turned his face away from Zoro, not really wanting to hear what he expected the answer to be.

 

“Of course it hasn’t bothered me. We used to be at each other’s throats all the time and the fights were fun, not gonna lie. It’s nice to have someone to spar with and not worry about actually hurting them. But I have grown to like just being your friend too. I don’t see why we can’t do both.”

 

The blonde turned back to face him. “Think I’ll ever be over all this?”

 

Zoro gave him a smile. “You have all your Nakama here to help you. You’ll pull through.”

 

*****

 

The next day Sanji was allowed out of the medical bay. Not only had Chopper declared his bullet wound on the mend, but his blood samples were no longer showing any traces of the drugs he had been forcefully injected with. Sanji spent his day alternating between making the crew food in his kitchen and taking naps in his small room. He didn’t have any flashbacks or nightmares that day. Looking up from the meal he was preparing for dinner, the blonde watched his crew out the open door. He smiled to himself, if anyone could help him get over his ordeal, it was this misfit crew. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


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